5 ways, 1 way
by tipah
Summary: Five ways how Peter Pevensie loved Susan Pevensie more than a sister and never knew, and one way how he did know. Peter/Susan. Warning: Incest, Implied sex


_Five ways how Peter loved Susan more than a sister – and never knew_

1) As children

When Peter Pevensie was 5 years, 20 weeks and 17 days old, he was sitting on the grassy slope of the park near his house, admiring a butterfly as it flew by within his arm's reach. Any other boy his age would have tried to grab it aimlessly, but Peter knew better than to try and reach out for something so beautiful – he knew that if he didn't get it, he would be upset. So he happily watched it flutter around in circles, and wondered for a moment if it was okay, because he knew that 'really sick' people walked in circles or zig-zags.

He was about to reach out for it to check if the butterfly was 'really sick', when he heard a cry. He turned, and saw a fat boy pulling Susan's hair. He frowned, the butterfly long forgotten. He didn't like people touching Susan's hair. Susan's hair was too nice to be touched. It was long, thick, and nicely curled, and shone under the sunlight.

The boy, who was wearing a striped t-shirt, tugged a curl again and laughed as Susan, who was then 4 years, 10 weeks and 6 days old, wailed out her brother's name.

'Ooh, Peter! Peter!' He teased as Susan began crying, clutching her teddy bear tighter to her. 'Who are you calling, huh? Your boyfriend?'

Peter strode up to the boy, angry. He had no right to talk or treat his sister that way. 'No,' he said in a quiet but deathly tone. 'I'm her brother. Now let go of my sister's hair.' He was smaller than the fat boy, but he was also angrier.

The boy who had teased Susan looked at him before bursting into laughter. 'And I'm supposed to be scared of you?' He pulled Susan's hair again, and Susan wailed.

That sound was the last thing he heard for the next ten minutes, because Peter had punched him in the face, knocking him out.

After Susan had stopped sobbing in his arms, and she was breathing normally again, Peter vowed never to let anyone hurt Susan again. The sound of Susan crying was too much for him to take.

2) As pre-teens

Peter ran out of the house, scratching his head. Surely he could find Susan? She was the easiest to find whenever they played hide and seek. She would hide behind a curtain or a door, or even under a table. It was as if she wanted to be found.

This time, however, he had already found Edmund and Lucy, but Susan was still missing? A wave of concern attacked him. What if Susan was hurt somewhere?

The eldest Pevensie, who was 12 years, 5 weeks and 10 days old, decided to look for her in the backyard. After searching thoroughly, she was still nowhere to be found. Worried sick, he dashed to the shed. He found everything he could imagine, even a fossilized dead bird, but there was no Susan. The feeling of panic gripping him so hard he could barely breathe, he ran out to the front yard. Where could Susan possibly be? There was nowhere to hide in the front yard, unless Susan managed to flatten herself and blend with the grass.

Okay Peter, he told himself. Deep breaths. Deep breaths.

It wasn't helping. Furious, frustrated and terrified at the same time, he hit the nearest tree, and was shocked to hear a yelp coming from it.

He looked up, and found Susan, 10 years, 46 weeks and 6 days old, perching precariously on a branch. Her eyes met his, and she looked terrified.

'What are you doing up there?' He asked, incredulous.

She opened her mouth to retort, but ended up releasing a sob. 'I wanted to prove to you that I could hide well too,' her lower lip trembled dangerously. 'What took you so long?'

Peter ran a hand through his blonde hair. 'Well, I suppose a tree would be the last place I'd try to find you,' he muttered. 'Well I've found you now. Get down.'

Susan kept silent and didn't move. Peter raised an eyebrow.

'Su?'

'I can't get down!' She wailed and began crying. The entire branch began to shake, and panic engulfed Peter again.

'Calm down, Su!' Peter ordered her, and she bit her lip, trying to control the sobs. He analyzed the situation. If he went up to get her, they both wouldn't be able to come down. He could run back to get a ladder, but he didn't want to leave her alone. There was only one way out.

'Su,' Peter called out. 'You have to jump.'

Susan's blue eyes widened, and tears began to form again. 'No!' she shook her head violently, and the branch shook again. 'No!'

Peter held his hands upwards. 'Come on, Su! I'll catch you. I promise. You won't get hurt.' In truth he wasn't even sure if he could block her fall, but the words made both of them feel better.

'You… you promise?' she asked in a tiny voice, and Peter nodded.

Susan trusted her brother, so she jumped.

And he did block her fall.

As she sobbed loudly, clutching onto him for dear life, he smoothened the curls that had been tangled up by the branches and kissed her forehead.

'I'm never playing hide and seek again!' she vowed between sobs, wetting his shirt.

Peter held on to her, nodding. 'Okay, Su. We won't play hide and seek again. I promise.'

He decided that he would always take care of her and never let her go off alone again.

3) As teenagers

Susan glanced at the clock. An hour to go before dinner, and her stomach was rumbling already. She had to stop thinking about food, or else she was going to eat a lot and become fat. At 15 years, 6 weeks and 12 days old, your figure was a very important issue. She lay down on the bed, sighing.

There was a knock on the door, and Peter came in. He held a box, smiling. 'Cream puffs?' he offered.

She groaned. 'Peter,' she chided. 'I can't eat now… dinner's only an hour away.'

He closed the door behind her, grinning. Susan realized that Peter's smile seemed to be bigger and brighter over the years, if possible. 'Come on, Su.' He gave an exaggerated whiff. 'You know you want to.'

Susan threw a pillow at her brother, who was 16 years, 16 weeks and 23 days old, and he dodged it with practiced ease, laughing. He sat next to her, and opened the box, suddenly serious.

'Su,' he began, lifting a huge cream puff. Susan's stomach began to lurch. It was so very tempting. 'You haven't been eating much. Come on, have one. You're way too skinny.'

Susan snorted. 'Skinny?' she laughed. 'You call this skinny? Peter, I'm one of the fattest girls in my class!'

'You're not fat!' Peter sounded appalled by the thought of a Fat Susan. 'You're anything but fat. You're… curvy.'

His sister lifted an eyebrow. 'And that is supposed to comfort me.'

Peter blushed, as if in a loss of words before saying, 'You know, guys prefer curvy girls to those skinny ones.' He quickly glanced at Susan, whose eyes were widening by the second. 'Well, that's what my mates tell me. They have elder brothers, and they aren't into skinny girls. They say it's like being lovers with a chopstick. Impossible. They like curvy girls because those girls are naturally pretty.'

Susan blinked. An insight of the male species seemed to render her speechless. Peter took advantage of this and leaned slightly over her, holding the cream puff next to her mouth. 'Eat? Please?'

Susan looked at her brother's pleading face and finally decided to take a bite, before moaning in happiness. 'Peter, this is good,' she declared between bites and moved herself so that her head was in his lap. She grabbed the cream puff from him, hungrily devouring it.

He stroked her hair that never seemed to lose its glossiness and beauty, and smiled. 'You'll always be beautiful to me, Su,' he whispered. She looked up and beamed at him, cream at the corner of her mouth. He chuckled, wiping it away.

He figured out that he would have to show her how beautiful she was as she is, somehow.

4) As adults

'Su!'

Susan whirled around, looking at the person who had called out her name. She broke into a smile. 'Peter!'

Peter, 21 years, 39 weeks and 15 days old, grinned and engulfed his sister in a warm hug. 'It feels as if it's been ages since I met you… but I did meet you for your birthday.'

Susan rolled her eyes. She was 20 years, 29 weeks and 4 days old, and it had been almost half a year since she last met her brother. 'It has been ages… I haven't met you in months!'

Peter looked at her fondly as he absentmindedly took one of her curls between his fingers and began twirling it, like how he had done back in Finchley all those years ago. 'Are you free now?'

Susan laughed, and Peter thought it was the most beautiful sound imaginable. 'Of course I am, Peter. I'll always be free for you.'

'Let's eat, then,' Peter took her slender hand in his. 'I'm starving, and there's a nice café a few blocks down.'

She smiled. 'Brilliant.'

They walked down the street hand in hand, and Susan talked about everything that had happened to her along the way. Peter looked at his sister, and noted the changes. She was slimmer now, but she still had her curves. The dress she wore suited her, and it was certainly a decent length. She might have cut her hair; it did seem a little shorter. The pink of her lipstick accentuated the natural blush of excitement on her cheeks perfectly. He never liked scarlet lipstick on her, anyway. Her blue eyes were dancing, and they were looking at him. She was looking at him, smiling at him, as if he was the world to her.

He smiled back and entwined his fingers with hers, happy that she was happy. She was his sister, and he would do anything to keep her this happy.

5) As Kings and Queens of Narnia

It was a known fact – High King Peter was absurdly protective over Queen Susan.

Some said that it began when the Queen had once been fondled by a guard. The King was furious, and had demanded his execution. Others claimed that it started much earlier, when they first came to Narnia and Susan was attacked by a pack of wolves. And then there were those who argued that this protectiveness only kicked in when a suitor tried to kidnap the Queen in the middle of the night, only to be caught be the King himself.

The only people who knew when Peter became protective over Susan were their brother and sister, King Edmund and Queen Lucy. Peter was always protective of all of them, but his protectiveness towards Susan had become an all time high since an injured Telmarine soldier wandered into Narnia by accident and was brought to Cair Paravel. Lucy had given him a little of her potion, whilst Peter and Edmund arranged for him to be tended to first before being sent back to his country.

The Kings and Queens visited him everyday to see if he was doing fine, and he was extremely grateful and thankful to them, but he seemed to thank Susan more, his eyes seemed to linger on her a little longer, his hands seemed to brush hers on purpose. When he was well, before he left, he had kissed her on the lips, and told her that his heart was hers.

And that was when Peter began his obsessive protectiveness. Whenever a suitor met the Queen and the High King was in their presence, he made pains to ensure that she would never be touched. He began snarling at the suitors that came to the palace, so Edmund had to take over his place as 'the person who rejects the suitors'. He refused to allow Susan to dance with anyone but him, lest she was taken advantage of. Whenever she argued, he would tell her grudgingly, 'I'm your brother. I know what I'm doing,' before stomping away.

Of course, not one Narnian minded, because they thought that High King Peter and Queen Susan were a fitting pair. Her paleness and her brown curls somehow matched his tan skin and blonde hair. They danced beautifully together, and Susan would always giggle when Peter grabbed her wrist to drag her back into his arms, and Peter would laugh when she twirled and her hair brushed past his face. And then they would stare into each other's eyes, both pairs the exact same shade of blue.

And whenever he looked into those eyes, Peter knew that he was going to make sure none of those bumbling suitors were going to take away his sister.

_And one way he did know._

1) After tumbling out of the wardrobe.

Peter wasn't very sure how this was going to continue. He may be 16 years, 10 weeks and 4 days, but he had the mind of a much older person. He had the mind of a man, a King.

He went back to his duties as an older brother, a duty he didn't really neglect back in Narnia. He kissed Lucy's bruises away, he ran in the field with Edmund and he made sure they were both tucked in bed before 10pm, despite their arguments that they were far too old to be sleeping at 10pm.

He knew he had to go back to being Susan's older brother. He knew he would have to watch over her, help her with her homework and hear her woes when she needed a listening ear.

He did do all that, but he couldn't help but inhale the scent of her hair when she was close enough, he brushed her fingers whenever he could, he kissed her whenever he had the opportunity.

'Don't, Peter,' Susan had begged him. 'Forget what we were. Accept what we are.'

But he couldn't. Not when 14 years, 51 weeks and 1 day old Susan sat on his bed, sobbing about how she missed Narnia and their friends back there. How she missed what they were.

Gathering all his courage, he pressed his lips onto hers, and he sighed, contented, when she kissed him back. He felt her tears, and he pulled back, shaking his head as he wiped them away.

'Don't cry,' he pleaded softly. 'I hate to see you cry.'

He made sure that when the sun rose she had stopped crying. He looked at her, her head on his bare chest as she slept, her body curled up underneath the sheets, and then at the pile of clothes of the floor, and wondered how they were going to keep this a secret.

AN: reviews are LURVE :D


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